A decision will be made regarding raising charges against murder suspect Ali Shahil sometime this month.
Shahil is accused of brutally murdering 22-year-old Shiaau Ali Saeed, Gn. Fuvahmulah, in Male' City, in August this year. Her heavily-mutilated body was found in a Henveiru apartment on the night of August 6. Shahil, 23, was arrested at the crime scene and has been in custody since then.
Police have always said that Shahil was not cooperating with the murder investigation. In their most recent update regarding the case, the police had said they were working on extracting data from Shahil's phone. The motive of the murder had not been determined at the time.
Police had previously given tentative dates on which the investigation would be completed and forwarded for prosecution. However, the case was not sent to the Prosecutor General's Office on the dates provided by the police. The police are now preparing to decide whether to prosecute the case within this month.
Police had earlier said there was enough evidence to prove Shahil murdered Shiaau. No other accomplice is believed to be involved in the crime. The police had also earlier noted that they had gained access to Shahil's phone and that there were possible motives for the murder. More than 45 people had been questioned in connection with the death, and additional CCTV footage is being analyzed, police said.
Police in October said the post-mortem showed that Shiaau died from her injuries and that her body was attacked even after her death. While a psychological assessment has been conducted on Shahil, no mental illnesses have been noted, the police said.
